


Phantom Pains

by thehiddenpeople



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Reader Insert, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 05:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11479683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehiddenpeople/pseuds/thehiddenpeople
Summary: Reader has phantom pains in old scars, and has an emotional talk with Genji. (Very short one shot)





	Phantom Pains

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a writer and I've never written fanfiction before. I've been struggling with phantom pains in old scars. I basically needed to vent at 2AM and this is the result.  
> I will probably edit it in the future to make it better/longer.  
> I always imagined that Genji still has phantom pains, so I think he'd get it.  
> (Also, this contains my headcanon that between Blackwatch and now Genji got his final limb replaced with cybernetics. I think a human arm would slow him down, get injured more, be more painful, etc.)  
> Please comment and let me know what I could improve! It feels a bit fast paced to me, and I wished I'd spent more time on scenery, but I kind of rushed writing it.

“Genji, why does it still hurt? It’s been so many years, the wounds are healed but the pain remains. It hurts so bad I can hardly think sometimes.”

It was so hard to read him through that visor, it frustrated you. He looked away for a moment, thinking carefully about his reply. You both sat silently for a little while on the rocky cliffs of Gibraltar, watching birds fly across the dimly lit sky.

“It took me a long time to come to peace with my body the way it is.” He looked at you as he took his visor off. You looked straight into his beautiful brown eyes and nearly got lost in thought, but he continued to speak so you listened intently.

“I also get phantom pains, but not nearly as much as I used to. I was full of anger and resentment, I hated what I had become and everything was just…. _Pure pain…”_ Even through the slight robotic tone of his voice, you could hear that this was hard to talk about. You quickly looked down and you felt a wave of guilt for even bringing it up.

“I’m so sorry Genji, I.. I don’t wanna make you upset.”

You felt a synthetic hand clasp yours as he softly replied, “Do not apologize. I am at peace with who I am. The past was painful and I cannot deny it, but I am alive and grateful to be so.” You smiled slightly, and looked up to admire his beautiful, scarred face. He was still so handsome, despite everything…

You just admired the way he moved as he spoke, “You need to come to peace with yourself. Learn from the past, learn from your pain and become stronger.”

Your right hand wandered away from his as you started rubbing your scars, they throbbed like open wounds despite just being a vast field of bumpy white scars stretched across your arm.  Such old scars, yet something was never quite right and the nerves never really forgot the pain. The pain simply became the background noise of your life.

“I think I know why you chose to replace your last remaining limb with cybernetics.”

Genji looked at you, not sure how to react yet.

“It doesn’t feel right having 2 different arms. You can probably control what you feel from a robotic arm, but humans are more complicated than that. My scarred arm throbs and burns, and movement doesnt feel the same. I wish I could make them the same again.”

You didn’t realize you were crying. You felt so dumb being around him looking like this, being so mushy and emotional. But there you were, sitting on a cliffside with tears streaming down your face as Genji slowly pulled you into a hug. He didn’t even reply, just held you close and breathed slowly.

You quietly sniffled as you wrapped your arms around him. He was warmer than you expected, but the chilly night air still kept you shivering. 

“Can we go inside, Genji? It’s getting late and I’m cold.”

“Of course, would you like to join me for tea in the kitchen?”

“That sounds nice, I need it.”

The two of you got up from the cliffside and headed back towards the doors of the building built into the mountain. You walked in silence until you reached the doors, where he paused. Genji reached out and grabbed your hand, saying in a soft voice “Your scars do not define you, and you will always be beautiful despite them.” He brought your hand to his face and kissed it gently.

You blushed slightly as you spoke, “Thank you, Genji. It means a lot to me."

“Let’s go inside for tea now, yes?” he asked you calmly. You simply nodded, and the two of you entered the building.


End file.
